Foothold
by Veep
Summary: Sam initiates the foothold protocol, leaving Jack wondering what is happening to her inside the mountain.


Sam rewrote the same line for the third time. She was having a hard time getting the phrasing just right. Her computer buzzed as she was clicking delete yet again. She clicked the accept button and a sleepy Jack O'Neill popped up on her screen.

He was running a hand through his hair and sitting at the table in his apartment's breakfast nook. "Good morning Sam."

"Good morning Jack." She couldn't stop from grinning.

HE shook his head and picked up his coffee cup. "Are you always going to grin like that when you say my name?"

That made her grin even more. "It doesn't help that I'm sitting in your old chair in your old office."

"I still miss that chair. How's third shift going today?"

"I haven't had this much time to write in a while. I am working on my second article."

"Another article you can't publish?" He took a sip of his coffee.

"We've been over this, I can't publish them now but one day all of this will be known and these articles will be important." She waved her arms around her to emphasize the all of this.

"I get it. Really, I do." He gave her a sleepy grin. "I hated covering third shift but it doesn't seem to be bothering you as much as it did me."

"I'm basically a night owl and Colonel Williams needed a couple weeks off. He posted some cute pictures of his kids with Mickey Mouse so I think he is having a good time on vacation."

"I'm sure he is."

"SG-1 needed the down time too. Daniel might have even caught up on a little sleep."

"Maybe a little. I talked to him yesterday afternoon and he was working in his lab when I called. You really need to run him out of there more."

"It's one of the first things I do each night when I get here." She touched his image on the screen. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for work?"

"Drinking my first cup of coffee is part of getting ready for work."

Sam looked at the clock in the corner of her screen. "I've got two teams leaving in the next hour so I better figure out how to write this last sentence and get ready."

"Feel free to call me before you go to sleep sometime this afternoon."

"Will do. Bye."

Jack finished his cup of coffee and headed for the shower.

Jack was tucking in his shirt when he heard a knock on his door. He ran a brush through his still wet hair before answering the door.

"Good morning General O'Neill. Your car is ready to get you to the airport."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "I'm afraid you've got the wrong General O'Neill. I'm the one with two l's."

The Captain looked confused. "This is the address my Lieutenant gave me sir. She said I was to get you to the airport as quickly as possible. A plane is on standby for you."

"Let me get my phone and we'll figure out what wires got crossed. Come on in Captain." The young man stepped inside Jack's apartment and closed the door as Jack went back to his bedroom. He put on his watch and picked up his keys and phone. He had three voicemails.

"Jack, it's Hank. Cheyenne Mountain has initiated the foothold protocol. That's all I know for now. I'm on my way to the mountain. I'll call back when I know more."

Jack moved to the second and third messages, his people telling him about the foothold situation and getting him a flight to Cheyenne Mountain. He grabbed his coat and a bag. He tossed a few personal items in the bag along with his laptop and headed out to the waiting car. He was in the air and headed to Colorado within thirty minutes.

As soon as they reached a stable altitude Jack called Hank. "Hank, It's Jack. Tell me what you know."

"At 0437 Cheyanne Mountain was put on a foothold lockdown. I have established a perimeter and nobody has left the mountain. Ten insurgent teams are preparing to enter the mountain. Five interrogation units and three medical units have turned the hanger into a holding site. We'll clear the non-SGC levels fairly quickly. By the time you get here we should be clearing the SGC levels."

"Have you had any word from inside?"

"The foothold protocol cuts off all communication. We aren't going to know what is happening until we get inside and we have to do that level by level. You helped write this plan Jack."

"I know." He sighed. He understood the importance of trapping a hostile alien influence inside the mountain but knowing Sam was trapped inside too was driving him mad. "I'll see you in a couple hours. If you learn anything call me immediately."

Jack headed straight to the mountain when he landed. He went through three security checks before getting to the staging area for the mountain incursion. He was led to Landry, who was surrounded by captains and majors scurrying in every direction.

"Hank." Jack removed his cover as he ducked under the tent.

"Perfect timing Jack. We are clearing the last non-SGC level now. We should be able to make entry to the highest SGC level in about fifteen or twenty minutes."

Jack let out a slow breath. "Carter always said if we ever had to do this it would take forever."

Landry nodded. "She's usually right."

Eighteen minutes later an extraction teams along with Landry and O'Neill entered the security room on the highest SGC level. The room was filled with captains and one major, who all stood and saluted as the generals entered the room.

Landry returned the salute. "At ease. Can you tell us what happened?"

The lone major stepped forward while a couple of the captains sat back down at their monitors. "Yes, sir. This is one of the rooms that maintains full power during a foothold and we have continued to monitor all the cameras in the SGC. We've had time to make you a condensed version of events. Captain Moyers can show you."

They turned as Captain Moyers hit play. There was no audio and the video was grainy but they could see Carter greet Colonel Ayers in the control room. The rest of SG-16 headed to the gate room and Sergeant McDowell started the dialing sequence.

"The first dialing lock is in place as SG-16 crossed into the gate room. An alarm was triggered as they entered." Carter leaned over Sergeant McDowell's shoulder. "We've gone over the footage several times but we aren't sure what alarm was triggered. The footage just isn't clear enough for us to be able to zoom in on the screen."

Colonel Ayers grabbed Sergeant McDowell's chair and pulled him away from the computer. Carter moved towards the computer console as Sergeant McDowell grabbed Colonel Ayers. Ayers used his left elbow to break McDowell's nose. Ayers spun and put his right arm around McDowell's throat, choking him until he passed out.

At the same time Major Tipton and Major Ashe, both members of SG-16 disarmed the gate room guards. Captain Forest, the newest member of SG-16 was also ordered to drop her weapons.

"Sergeant McDowell's fight with Colonel Ayers gave Colonel Carter just enough time to initiate the foothold protocol." They all watched as Carter stopped the dialing sequence. Colonel Ayers lifted his rifle as Carter typed on the keyboard. More alarms blared and the gate came to a halt as the rifle butt connected with Carter's right temple. Her head bounced off the computer consul and table as she slid to the floor.

All eyes slid towards Jack. "She's alive, sir." The young captain at a neighboring computer monitor quietly brought up a current feed from the control room. "We've been making sure she keeps moving, at least a little."

Jack let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Carter's ankles and wrists were bound with plastic ties. She was laying on her left side. "What else did he do to her?" Jack could see her lips were busted and she had a black eye to go along with the head wound.

Jack turned back to his left as the captain with the old footage hit fast forward. "After the emergency doors closed and the power decreased shutting down all gate activity he had Sergeant McDowell bind her wrists and ankles and then bind his own ankles." Jack watched as the McDowell bound Sam and then his own ankles. Colonel Ayers then had McDowell lay face down. He sat on him and attempted to bind McDowell's wrists but McDowell fought back. Ayers landed several blows before McDowell passed out, allowing Ayers to bind his wrists.

Once McDowell was subdued Ayers turned his attention back to Carter. He grabbed her by the front of her shirt and lifted her into the rolling chair. Her head lolled to the side and she did not react to being moved. Her lack of a response seemed to make Ayers angry. He slapped her twice. She slowly opened her one unswollen eye after the second slap.

Jack wished he could hear the conversation. Ayers slammed the keyboard down and hit the monitor. Carter didn't jump, either because she was so out of it or wasn't flustered by his outburst. Ayers screamed some more before punching Carter in the face. She fell out of the chair, striking her shoulder and the already injured side of her head.

The scene switched to the gate room. "The gate room guards and Captain Forest are also unarmed and bound. Major Tipton and Major Ashe were physically cut off from Colonel Ayers by the large blast doors that closed when Colonel Carter initiated the foothold protocol but they were still following his orders. Captain Forest seemed the most upset in the gate room, repeatedly yelling at her team mates.

"Ok." General Landry cleared his throat. "This isn't really a foothold system so it seems to me we can restore power to the upper level and allow our personnel to resume their work. We need to keep access to the gate room, control room, and the level above them restricted for the time being."

Jack nodded, agreeing with his assessment. "Can we establish communication with the control room but not give them back full power? We don't want them to be able to access the gate."

Major Adkins shrugged his shoulders, "We can't but I bet the guys in the communication hub down two levels can. The security hub should also be able to open the security doors level by level. Few of the department heads were here when this all went down so getting them in here will help too."

Landry went back up top and reorganized the infiltration teams so they could get most of the mountain back to normal function. Jack made his way down to the communication center. Jack spent an hour making every officer in the small conference room nervous as he paced back and forth while they set up multiple monitors and a phone bank.

"General O'Neill, it's good to see you again." Colonel Davis stepped forward to shake hands.

"Davis, long time no see."

"Yes, sir. Odd how we meet up here even though we are both stationed in Washington now."

"Yeah, that's pretty odd." Jack looked around the room. "So, what brings you to our little slice of insanity today?"

"I'm on the external foothold response team."

Jack nodded. "Makes sense." Jack started fidgeting now that he had stopped pacing.

Colonel Davis had enough experience working with Jack to read him. "General Landry is on his way down and we're almost ready to try and make contact."

"Good…good."

As predicted ten minutes later General Landry had joined them and the nerds had all the tech ready to go. Live images of the control and the gate room were projected side-by-side on the main screen. A speaker phone was set up in the center of the conference table. General Landry sat at the head of the table while Jack continued to pace. Two technicians sat at a table to the right of the room and the rest left, happy to get away from the agitated General O'Neill. Colonel Davis sat to General Landry's left and Dr. Lam sat to his right. A couple random majors Jack didn't know rounded out the room's occupants.

Colonel Davis opened a notebook. "We're ready."

"Go ahead." General Landry spread his hands on the table.

Colonel Davis reached out to the speaker phone. The room filled with the sound of ringing. On the screen Colonel Ayers turned towards the phone on the dialing consol. Ayers glanced over at Carter and then back at the phone.

Ayers scowled as he moved past Carter and picked up the phone.

"Colonel Ayers, this is General Landry. What's happening down there?"

"There was an alarm as my team entered the gate room. It shut down the gate and turned off our power and communications. I'm trapped in the control room and the rest of my team is locked in the gate room."

"What type of alarm was it?"

"I'm unsure. Colonel Carter was trying to figure that out when she fell. She's injured and needs to be evacuated. If you can restore power we can open the doors and get her to the infirmary."

Colonel Davis was moving his hand across his throat.

"We are working on just that. Let me see where we stand and I will call you back in a few minutes."

"Yes, sir."

Landry nodded at Davis and he hung up the phone.

"What is it Colonel?"

"Colonel Carter's hand is moving." He turned to the techs. "Can you zoom in on her hand?"

Jack moved towards the screen as the camera zoomed in. "That as close as we can get."

Colonel Davis squinted. "She's writing letters. T."

"H? That could have been an A."

"R."

Carter stopped writing as Ayers started pacing beside her. He moved back near the phone and her hand movements resumed.

"A. That was definitely an A."

"X."

Jack glanced at Landry as Colonel Davis kept reading out letters.

"A."

"N."

"T."

"H."

Jack scowled. "Anthrax. That solves a mystery."

"Sir?" Colonel Davis stopped writing.

Jack lifted his hand towards Landry. "Go ahead and tell him."

"One of our science labs is missing vials of anthrax and botulism."

Colonel Davis' eyes widened in shock. "You have got to be kidding me. I haven't heard anything about this."

"It hadn't been widely disseminated but it had been appropriately reported and an investigation was underway."

Davis nodded. "Ok, so why would SG-16 have this anthrax and why would they be trying to take it off world?"

Jack ran his hand on the back of his neck as he turned to face the room. "So, do we ask him and let him know we know or do we keep playing dumb?"

Landry leaned back in his chair. "It does us no good to play games. The faster we end this the better."

"I agree." Dr. Lam looked back at the screen. "Based on what I have been shown I am concerned about Colonel Carter's head injury. I would have liked to CAT scan her hours ago."

Landry glanced at Jack and got a head nod. "Colonel Davis, call him back. Let's show our hand."

The room filled with the sound of the ringing phone. The technicians pulled the camera view back out so they could watch Ayers answer the phone. The rest of his team in the gate room stopped pacing and looked up as Ayers answered, indicating Ayers was using his radio to let them know what was happening.

Ayers picked up the phone. "Ayers."

"Colonel Ayers, I am curious why you and your team were trying to take infectious biohazards through the gate?"

He hung up the phone. They watched him turn towards Carter. He grabbed her up off the floor by the front of her shirt. He shook her hard. Jack reached for the phone at the same time that Colonel Davis hit dial.

Ayers ignored the phone.

Jack spun around towards the side of the room. "Get me speaker access." The technicians started typing furiously while Davis dialed again. This time Ayers clicked the speakerphone button.

"Ayers!"

"Get your hands off her." Jack voice was calm but filled with venom.

"O'Neill?"

"Yes, now let her be."

Ayers dropped her, letting her hit the ground hard. She braced herself just as she hit. Jack forced himself to not flinch when he heard her moan through the phone.

"Let us through the gate and she lives."

"You aren't going anywhere."

"Then she's dead." He lifted his rifle and pointed it at Carter. She slowly rotated her head and open the one eye that wasn't swollen closed.

"It won't change anything. You still won't be going through that gate."

"I don't believe you'll let me do it. Doesn't she matter more to you than some damn aliens?"

Jack took in a slow breath. "She decided those aliens mattered more than her own safety when she locked you out of the system. I've learned over the years to not question her decisions when she is strongly committed."

Ayers hung up, plunging the room into a deafening silence. All eyes were on Jack as Ayers pointed his rifle at Carter. He reached up and toggled his radio, talking to the rest of his team in the gate room. The conversation was very animated. Carter never took her eyes off Ayers.

Colonel Davis dialed again. Ayers ignored the call. Davis tried one more time. This time Ayers answered.

"I made it clear what I wanted and what would happen if you didn't let us leave."

Jack snarled. "I was equally clear. You are not going through that gate."

Ayers shook in fury. "Then her death is on your shoulders." Jack forced himself to keep his eyes on the screen as Ayers raised his gun. Carter's one good eye shifted to the camera and Jack's chest tightened. Ayers followed her line of sight and his eyes narrowed. He turned and fired at the camera, making the screen go black. A second shot and a scream projected through the phone before it went dead also.

Jack grabbed the back of an empty chair and slammed it against the table, shaking the table and making the room's occupants jump. Everyone avoided eye contact with him. He turned back towards the screen as Major Tipton lifted his weapon and shot out the camera in the gate room, effectively leaving them blind to what was happening.

"Damn it to hell." Jack slammed the palm if his hand on the table. "We have to get everyone out of there, now."

Colonel Davis nodded. "We can have incursion teams ready to go in ten minutes."

Jack nodded as Dr. Lam raised her head. "I have another idea." All eyes turned towards her. "Let's flood the rooms with carbon monoxide."

General Landry sat back in his chair. "Explain."

"Carbon monoxide would put them to sleep and as long as we get to them fast enough they wouldn't die."

"Do we have carbon monoxide?"

"It's easy to make. If we turn on a generator and pump the fumes in they will go to sleep within an hour, maybe less."

Landry looked at Jack but he got no response. "Make it happen."

Dr. Lam and Colonel Davis started planning as Jack left the room. Landry let him have a few minutes before he followed him out.

"Jack?" Jack didn't turn around. "I can't see him really shooting her. I know he's desperate but I don't think he's suicidal."

"Really, because we have no idea why he stole this stuff and tried to get it through the gate. Did he plan on coming back?"

Landry shrugged. "I don't know but I believe she's alive and you need to believe it too."

Jack leaned against the wall. "Right."

"Let's go see what the egg heads have cooked up."

It took them twenty minutes to isolate the air entering the control room and gate room. They brought in multiple generators and arranged them so the exhaust would be pumped into the control and gate rooms. They called the control room multiple times as they were setting everything up but Ayers didn't answer.

"We're ready, sir." Dr. Lam looked at Landry. "I do feel the need to warn you though, if Colonel Carter is alive and we put her to sleep with carbon monoxide she might not wake up."

Jack stepped closer. "Why just her?"

Dr. Lam swallowed and turn towards General O'Neill. "Based on what I have seen I suspect Colonel Carter has suffered a significant head wound. Putting her into a chemically induced sleep might be irreversible."

Jack's jaw twitched. He looked at Landry and nodded.

Landry stood. "Noted, thank you Doctor. Proceed."

The generators were cranked and they waited. Jack's pacing was making everyone in the room uncomfortable.

"I think I found something of interest." Colonel Davis squinted at his screen. "Eight months ago, SG-16 was involved in an incident on a planet called Moria. They were held captive and one of their team members, Major Parks, was killed during an interrogation. There was evidence that she was severely assaulted before she died."

"So, this was all about revenge."

"Possibly. The population of Moria was estimated to be about 1.3 million people."

Dr. Lam shook her head. "Based on the information I was given earlier about these strains of anthrax and botulism they could have killed as many as 50% of a population and I suspect these agents would have been novel bacterium for Moria so the mortality would probably have been significantly higher."

Colonel Davis leaned back from his screen. "Damn. They could have killed hundreds of thousands of people."

Landry looked at Dr. Lam. "How long until they should be asleep?"

"We've calculated forty minutes for the gate room based on the size of room and the amount of gas being introduced. The control room shouldn't take as long but I doubt you want to go in until both rooms are asleep. It is really hard to estimate the difference between having them asleep and a fatality. I really wish we could still see them."

"Me too…me too."

At forty minutes on the dot power was restored to the gate room and control room. The doors opened and two teams entered each room. As predicted all the occupants were asleep. The medical teams followed, quickly evacuating everyone to the medical bay. SG-16 was placed in a secure room and the rest of the people were in an open ward.

"Remove their restraints and place them on 100% oxygen." Dr. Lam called out instructions as she headed for Colonel Carter's gurney. She checked for a pulse and internally grinned. Her pulse was weak but she was alive. "Call CT scan and tell them we're on our way." A quick exam showed Carter had sustained a gunshot wound to her left arm, multiple facial contusions, and an open wound on her right temple. Dr. Lam placed a compression bandage on Carter's upper arm to slow the bleeding and around her head before sending her for a CT scan.

By the time Carter was brought back to the medical suite the others had started to wake up. The medical personnel were moving in multiple directions but Jack knew it was controlled chaos. He watched Lam moving around Carter, checking readings, shining a light in her eyes, cleaning her shoulder wound and stitching it up. He stayed back in the corner until Dr. Lam stood still beside the bed.

"Doc?"

"She's stable. I don't have her CT scan results yet so I don't know how significant her head wound is but I strongly suspect she has a major concussion. The gunshot wound was a through and through. Her humerus is intact so her arm wound appears to be soft tissue only. I'll know more about her facial bones when I get the CT scan."

"So you think she'll be fine?"

Dr. Lam's lips twitched. "Her pupil constriction is unequal. That has me concerned about the level of neural impairment she has sustained."

Jack looked over at Carter. She was pale and they had placed an oxygen mask over the lower half of her face. "Everyone else has woken up."

Dr. Lam nodded. "I wish I could tell you she was going to also. I'll go check on the CT scan results." Jack walked over the Carter's bed as Dr. Lam left him. He picked up her limp right hand.

"I'm sorry Sam." His chest burned.

Daniel and Colonel Mitchell entered the infirmary and headed straight for Carter's bed. "What happened to her?"

"She was shot in the arm and took a hard hit to the head."

Mitchell stayed at the end of the bed. "It looks like she took several blows to the head."

"Yeah."

Daniel went to the left side of the bed and carefully laid his hand over hers. "Why isn't she awake?"

Dr. Lam returned in time to hear Daniel's question. She flipped open a file. "Colonel Carter sustained multiple facial fractures and a cranial fracture to her right temporal bone. The CT scan shows increased cranial pressure. I am going to place an intracranial probe to monitor the pressure changes. If the pressure gets too high, I will have to temporarily remove a piece of her skull so the pressure won't compress her brain."

"So this is because of her head wound?"

"Mostly."

"Mostly?"

"I was afraid putting her to sleep might induce an unrecoverable coma but I don't think that's what has happened yet. There is still a good chance she will wake up."

Daniel's eyes widened. "You knew this could happen and you didn't tell them!"

Jack took in a slow deep breath. "We knew."

Daniel's head swiveled towards Jack. "You knew? You knew she might never wake up and you did it anyway?" Daniel's face turned a light shade of pink. "How could you?"

Colonel Mitchell leaned forward. "Based on what I heard it was gas them or go in shooting. I doubt she would have done much better in the middle of a gun fight since she was unarmed and injured."

Daniel's eyes narrowed. "This is on you Jack."

Dr. Lam held up her hands. "Enough. What's done is done and I need you three out of here so I can insert the probe."

Jack looked down at Carter's hand in his. "How exactly does this probe thing work?"

Dr. Lam moved to the head of Sam's bed. "I am going to drill a small hole right here and place the probe inside her skull."

Colonel Mitchell took a step back. "Drill a hole…you mean like with a drill?"

"Just like that and the sooner the better so if you gentlemen would please give me about thirty minutes I would appreciate it."

Daniel glared at Jack as they left the infirmary. Jack moved past him without making eye contact and headed back to Landry's office.

"How is she Jack?"

He shook his head. "Alive. What have you discovered?"

"Colonel Davis interviewed Captain Forest and she knew nothing about this plot. Major Tipton has refused to answer any questions. Major Ashe has been a bit more forth coming and Colonel Davis is in her examination room now. I spoke with Colonel Ayers and Colonel Davis was correct about their motivation. I had heard rumors about Ayers and Parks being in a relationship but I had no evidence and didn't pursue it. I suppose I should have questioned them."

Jack sat down. "No, it wouldn't have made things better."

"We recovered the anthrax and botulism. Turns out they also had a couple strains of influenza that we didn't know were missing."

"The flu?"

"Yep, as I understand it they were some nasty strains associated with a higher death rate." Landry leaned back in his chair. "She did the right thing."

"I know."

"We have more than enough information already to take them to court martial and I'm sure Colonel Davis will learn much more."

"Good. Where is Ayers?"

Landry narrowed his eyes. "We have him secured."

"Where?"

"Jack, no good will be had by going to see him."

"I'm going to talk to him whether you tell me or I find out on my own."

Jack made his way down to the holding cells. The guards saluted and made no attempt to stop him. Ayers was the third cell to the right. Jack looked in through the bars over the window. Ayers was laying on the cot with his arm over his eyes.

"Ayers."

He slowly took his arm off his face and looked towards the door. "Here to make me pay?"

"Yep."

Ayers sat up and swung his legs over the side of the cot. "Nobody was supposed to get hurt."

"Except the hundreds of thousands you planned to kill."

"They deserve it." He looked up at Jack. "If anyone can understand that it's you."

"You're wrong, pretty damn sure I proved that a couple hours ago."

Ayers looked away. "She deserved better."

"Are you talking about Parks or Carter?"

Ayers scuffed his foot on the cement floor. "Now what?"

"Now you go to prison and if she dies so will you."

Ayers looked but. "But I shot her in the arm, nothing life threatening."

"You're ignoring her skull fracture. She's in a coma and her brain is swelling."

Ayers shook his head. "Damn, Jack. I'm sorry. I really like Carter. I didn't want to hurt her I was just so desperate to get through that gate. Anger management has never been my strength."

"And for that you'll pay."

Jack wrote his report before heading back down to the infirmary. Daniel was sitting beside Carter's bed and a nurse was standing at the head of the bed checking the IV. Jack diverted to Dr. Lam's office. Dr. Lam was rubbing her eyes.

"How is she?"

"The pressure in her brain is still increasing but slower than it was earlier. That's a good sign. Hopefully it levels off and starts to drop soon."

"Looks like you could use some sleep."

"I'm sure we all could and I will in a little while." Jack looked out her window towards Carter's bed. "I can get rid of Dr. Jackson if you'd like."

Jack shook his head. "His bark is worse than his bite." Jack went out and took the seat on the opposite side of Carter's bed. Daniel didn't look up. Jack lifted her hand and rubbed his thumb over her fingernails. Her light pink polish was chipped, a sign she'd been busy.

Daniel stood up. "Since you're here I'm going to go get a coffee."

"Feel free to get some sleep too if you want. I'm planning to stay the night."

About twenty minutes after Daniel left Dr. Lam came over and checked the monitors again. "She's still stable. I'm going to get a few hours of sleep but the nurses can call me if there is any change."

"Sounds good Doc."

"I asked them bring you a better chair since I didn't figure I could chase you out and make you get some sleep."

"Thanks. Sleep well."

Jack fell asleep in the chair an hour later. He was awoken by an alarm. He sat bolt upright and looked towards the alarm.

"Sorry, sir. I'm changing her IV." The nurse shrank from him.

"It's alright. Not a problem."

Daniel was back on the other side of Carter's bed and there was a doughnut and coffee sitting on the rolling table in front of Jack.

"I thought you might want some caffeine."

"Thanks."

"I'm still angry."

"I know."

Dr. Lam showed up as Jack finished his coffee. "Good news gentlemen, the pressure in her brain has started to decrease so I won't need to remove part of her skull. I will remove the pressure sensor this afternoon as long as the pressure doesn't start to rise again."

Daniel leaned forward. "So she should wake up soon?"

Dr. Lam did a one shoulder shrug. "I hope so but if she doesn't wake up by tomorrow morning I will order a scan to determine the level of blood flow to her brain."

Jack sat his coffee cup down. "To see if she's brain dead."

Dr. Lam nodded. "Yes."

Daniel swallowed. "And if she is brain dead?"

Dr. Lam looked down at her clipboard, allowing Jack to respond. "She has a written plan about her wishes in that case."

"Oh." Daniel looked at Dr. Lam. "Do you know what she wants?"

Dr. Lam nodded. "I do but I am not the person designated by her power of attorney so I won't be the one making the decisions."

Daniel looked over at Jack. "It's you, isn't it?" Jack nodded. "So you'll get another chance to kill her."

Jack bristled and Dr. Lam turned towards Daniel. "That is uncalled for Dr. Jackson. I have no doubt that General O'Neill has Colonel Carter's best interest and her wishes in mind."

"Right." Daniel pushed himself up and left the infirmary in a huff.

Dr. Lam turned back to Jack. "I'll schedule the brain scan for tomorrow morning."

"Is there any reason to wait?"

Dr. Lam nodded, "I want to give her more time to wake up on her own."

"Ok."

Jack sat through a couple hours of nurses checking her IV and monitoring her vitals. He was getting very fidgety as Daniel and Mitchell returned.

"Good morning, General." Mitchell checked his watch. "Yeah, it's still technically morning but not for much longer."

Jack gave him a polite grin. "Since you guys are here I am going to get some lunch and check in with Landry. I'll be back in a couple hours."

Daniel avoided eye contact. "Fine."

Jack grabbed a sandwich and headed to Landry's office. He got a summary of the confessions and Landry's plans to set up court martials. He was assigned an empty office so he could check his emails and talk to his administrative assistant. She rearranged a ton of meetings and cleared his schedule for the rest of this week and next. His last stop was the control room. He had them dial the planet Teal'c was on and he left him a message.

Jack decided a powernap was in order so he found guest quarters and set an alarm for three hours. It wasn't enough but he felt better than before.

Mitchell had been replaced by Teal'c when he got back.

"Good to see you Teal'c. You got here faster than I expected."

Teal'c bowed his head. "Your message seemed urgent."

Daniel glared at Jack. "You wanted him here because you don't think there's any chance. You've already given up on her."

Jack's jaw tensed. "Just shut up Daniel."

Teal'c glared at Daniel. "It is unfair of you to accuse O'Neill of giving up on Colonel Carter. Nothing in his history would support your conclusion."

"I already told you what happened and why she's laying here."

"Indeed and based on what you have told me O'Neill did as Colonel Carter would have wished. She would not agree with your treatment of O'Neill."

Daniel twisted up his face and looked back and forth between the two men before storming out of the infirmary.

Teal'c turned back to Jack after Daniel left. "He is upset and needs someone to blame. He will get over it once he really thinks it through."

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe."

It was a little after ten, Jack was sitting beside Carter's bed holding her right hand, Teal'c was standing at the end of her bed, and Daniel had fallen asleep in the chair to her left. Jack's thumb was slowly running over her knuckles when he felt her fingers tighten. He wasn't sure he'd really felt it but he leaned forward and squeezed back.

Jack stood up. "Doc!" He squeezed her hand again and she squeezed back. "We're here. Do you hear me? We're here."

Daniel and Teal'c moved closer as Dr. Lam arrived. "General?"

"She squeezed my hand. When I squeeze she squeezes back." Jack squeezed again just to confirm his own statement and she responded.

"Good, let me check her pupil reactivity." Dr. Lam moved to the head of the bed. She opened Sam's left eyelid and shined a light in her eye. Sam moaned. All three men grinned. Dr. Lam lifted her right eyelid and shined the light in her eye which resulted in another moan.

Dr. Lam smiled. "Pupil reactivity has improved." She moved to the left side of the bed. "Colonel Carter, can you open your eyes for me? Colonel Carter?"

Daniel stood beside Dr. Lam. "Come on Sam."

Sam moaned again. Jack squeezed her hand and she slowly squeezed back. He leaned over the edge of the bed. "Take it at your own pace. We'll be here when you're ready."

Dr. Lam smiled. "That's good advice, sir. She'll get more cognizant over the next day or two. She'll probably be light and sound sensitive because of the concussion so we're going to make this corner a bit dark. The darker and quieter it is the easier it will be for her to interact with us."

Sam stopped squeezing Jack's hand after about thirty minutes. Two hours later she moaned again. Daniel stood up and leaned over the rail of the bed. "Sam? Can you open your eyes?"

Sam's lips moved and she stuck her tongue out, briefly licking her lips. "No. Water?"

Al three men smiled broadly. Jack scrambled to get a glass of water with a straw while Teal'c went to get Dr. Lam. Sam was drinking small sips of water as Dr. Lam arrived.

"Good morning Colonel Carter."

"If you say so." Her voice was rough and scratchy.

Dr. Lam smiled. "How do you feel?"

"Like crap."

"Makes sense. You have a skull fracture on your right temporal bone, multiple facial contusions, and you were shot through your upper left arm."

Sam moaned. "Well that sucks."

Daniel shook his head and looked at Jack. "She has clearly spent too much time with you."

Dr. Lam flashed a look at Daniel that shut him up. "I'm going to give you a little something for the pain but I don't want to give you enough to sedate you. You've been out for a couple days I want you to spend more time awake."

"Ok. Can I have more water?"

"Absolutely. You can eat or drink anything you feel like but I will warn you that nausea is a common complication of a severe concussion so start slowly."

"Ok."

Jack brought the straw back up to her lips and she took another small sip. She was awake for about thirty minutes before the pain medication allowed her a little more rest.

The infirmary was much busier the next time she woke up. The lights were still dim in her corner but the ambient noise of the infirmary made her cringe. She slowly opened her eyes and squinted.

"Would you like some more water?"

She started to nod but quickly realized that was a huge mistake. "Ugh. Yes, please."

Jack lifted the straw to her lips. She took a deep gulp and then a smaller sip. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Two days later Dr. Lam had reluctantly agreed to let Sam go home, so long as someone was with her. Sam was wearing a very dark pair of sunglasses and had relented to leaving in a wheelchair because her balance was still off.

"Where's Jack?"

"O'Neill is in another briefing so we will be escorting you home and O'Neill is responsible for providing our evening sustenance."

"Sounds like a plan. Let's get out of here."

Sam was miserable by the time they got her home. She turned off all the lights in her bedroom and sat propped up by all the pillows on her bed basking in the silence. The guys let her be for a couple hours but then Daniel was getting both worried and bored.

"Hey, Sam, is there anything you need?"

"I'm doing a lot better. How bout I come out and join you guys?"

"Sounds good." Daniel walked with her and helped her get settled on the sofa. She sat cross legged and leaned back on the big cushions. Teal'c brought her a glass of lemonade. Jack showed up about an hour later with a bucket of fried chicken with several sides. The smell filled the house and turned Sam's stomach. Daniel brought her a plate but all she did was nibble on a potato wedge. The guys stayed in the dimly lit kitchen and quietly chatted. Sam sat her plate on the table beside the sofa and closed her eyes, blocking out their whispers.

Sam opened her eyes as their voices got louder.

"Stop being an ass Daniel."

"You are indeed being obstinate. Samantha is alive and will be well soon. For this you should be thankful."

"I am thankful but Jack just…he just served her up on a platter."

"You are letting emotions cloud your judgment. You have known O'Neill long enough to know he would never chose to sacrifice Samantha without a good reason."

"I guess what bothers me is there was a reason good enough."

Sam heard bottles rattle as the refrigerator closed. "I understand that Daniel but what's done is done."

"It seems like it would be best if we departed for the evening." Teal'c stepped out into the dark living room. "I would like to bid you farewell Samantha. I hope you begin feeling better imminently."

"Yeah, me too Sam."

"Thanks guys. I appreciate the ride home and the company."

Jack quietly closed the door behind them and returned to the dark living room. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"No, I'm good."

"Are you done with your plate?"

"Oh, yes, sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for." He picked up her plate. "Doesn't look like you ate much."

"I'm still queasy and I hate throwing up."

Jack nodded. "Makes sense." He spent a few minutes cleaning in the kitchen before turning off all the lights. He slowly walked back into the dark living room. "If you're sure you don't need anything else I'm going to use your study to catch up on my emails."

"I'm good, go ahead."

Sam laid back back on the cushions, surprised Jack had decided to go to another room. Last month after they had gone for a run she'd gotten a cramp in her calf. Jack unnecessarily carried her to this same sofa and massaged her leg until the cramp subsided. She smiled as she thought about where that leg massage had led. His skill assembling weapons translated well to other things he did with his hands.

Sam let herself enjoy her thoughts for a few minutes before her brain forced her back to thinking about why Jack was really in her study. She swallowed. She reached out for her glass and drank the last sip of her lemonade but her thirst wasn't quenched.

She considered calling out for Jack but she hated the thought of yelling and she didn't want to disturb him. She slowly unfolded her legs and flexed her toes on the carpet. She pushed herself up off the sofa and gave herself a moment to get her equilibrium. She had to twist and bend slightly to reach her glass, which made her wobble a bit but she stayed upright.

She slowly shuffled into the kitchen. She sat her glass on the counter beside the refrigerator. She braced for the light as she opened the refrigerator door. She swallowed against the bile in her throat as she picked up the lemonade. She left the door open while she poured. She closed the lid and put the lemonade back on the refrigerator shelf. She let the door close on its own as she picked up her glass but she turned too fast. Her head exploded and she lost her grip on her glass.

The shattering sound threw her over the edge. She ran for the sink, which made her feel even worse. She was leaning over the sink dry heaving when Jack skidded in and turned on the overhead light.

"Sam?"

She held up a hand. She couldn't talk as she concentrated on not throwing up, she wasn't kidding when she told him she hated throwing up. She panted and swallowed until she had a handle on the nausea.

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to get some lemonade."

"I would have gotten it for you."

"I know. Can you turn off that light?"

"Yes, but don't move." He switched off the light. "There's glass all over the floor and you aren't wearing any shoes."

"I'm willing to get a few cuts on my feet if it means I can sit down."

He stepped towards her. "I can carry you."

She held up both hands. "Nope, I would for sure throw up then."

"Ok, give me a sec." Jack left the kitchen. Sam heard a door open and close. "Hope these aren't your favorite towels or anything."

"Any towel is fine."

Jack threw three towels over the mess and held his arm out to help Sam steady herself as she left the kitchen. She was thankful as she collapsed on the sofa.

Jack went back to the hall bathroom and brought a warm wet washcloth. "Here, to get the lemonade off your feet."

"Thanks." She took the washcloth as he headed back to the kitchen but she just sat there holding it. Her head was still spinning and she didn't want to move yet. Jack cleaned up the kitchen, dumped the glass in the trash, and put the towels in the washing machine. When he returned he could tell she hadn't moved. He pulled a hassock up to the sofa and sat down.

"Can I have that washcloth back?' She held it out towards him. "Do you mind if I wash your feet off?"

"You don't have to."

"I know but I'd like to."

She gave him a weak smile. "Thanks."

He slowly lifted each foot, one after the other, cleaning them both. He added the washcloth to the washing machine and brought her half a glass of lemonade.

"Better?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Not a problem. I can stay out here if you'd like."

"If you're done that would be nice but if you aren't I will be ok."

"It will take me a few more minutes to finish and I'll be right back."

Sam's smile got a little wider. "Nice."

True to his word Jack returned about ten minutes later. He left a light near the front door on to give the room a soft ambient glow that didn't bother her as much as the overhead light. They chatted quietly about Teal'c's son and grandson. Teal'c was very proud of his growing family. Now that Sam was not in danger anymore but also going to be out of commission for a while Teal'c had decided to go back to visit his son. Sam had talked Daniel into going along with him this time. She knew he was angry at Jack but time would help him see things clearer.

"I'm getting a bit tired. It might be time to call it a night."

Jack jumped up. "Let me help you to your room."

Jack helped her to her bathroom and left her long enough to clean up the living room and start the now full washing machine. He returned in time to help her to bed and get her tucked in. She propped herself up on a few pillows, laying down made her head throb.

Sam reached out and touched Jacks hand as he straightened up beside her bed. "Are you going to join me?"

He shook his head. "I don't want to move or snore or something and bother you."

"You never snore and you wouldn't bother me."

He scratched the back of his neck. "I'll just be out on the sofa if you need me and I'll check on you in two hours, just like Dr. Lam ordered."

"I can just set an alarm."

Jack shook his head, "Nope, Dr. Lam said you had to be woken up every two hours and I'm supposed to ask you questions that require intelligible answers."

"Well that sounds like a barrel of laughs."

"Good night, Sam." He didn't look back as he left, quietly latching the door. She flinched at the sound of the door. She reached over to the empty side of the bed and grabbed a pillow, clutching it to her chest. She let her mind wander back to their first date.

 _She smoothed her skirt twice before opening the door when he knocked. He beamed when he saw her and handed her a small bouquet of flowers._

" _I'll be ready as soon as I put on my shoes."_

" _No rush, I'm early. We don't need to leave for another," he looked at his watch, "thirty minutes or so."_

" _In that case, I happen to have a couple of those craft beers from that brewery downtown you like so much."_

" _That's an offer I won't pass up." He followed her into the kitchen._

" _How was your flight?" She handed him a cold beer._

" _Nothing exciting. How was your day?"_

" _A couple meetings and three science briefings."_

" _I am so sorry." He took a sip and watched her drink from her bottle. His eyes stayed on her lips as she licked a drop of beer off her upper lip. The look of longing on his face made her smile. It was good to know he was feeling it too._

" _They aren't so bad when you actually know what is being discussed."_

" _If you say so."_

" _Why don't we go sit down?" She waved towards the living room. She felt like a scared teenager going to her first prom, which was ridiculous since she had known Jack for years. Thinking his name made her smile._

 _She squeezed passed him in the kitchen entrance on the way to the living room. Her empty hand went his shoulder and he responded by putting his arm around her waist._

" _Sam." Their eyes met and Sam leaned towards him. He accepted her offer and captured her lips. She put her beer and his on the counter as their kiss deepened. She wrapped her arms around his neck as his right hand moved into her hair._

 _She broke off the kiss and put her lips next to his ear. "How long until we need to leave?" Her hand slide down to the top button of his shirt._

 _His left hand moved under the edge of her sweater. "Long enough."_

 _They didn't make it further than her living room the first time. Their reservation was forgotten and a pizza was ordered when their hunger prevailed. After they finished eating they took their time getting more familiar. Afterwards she laid beside him with her head on his shoulder. He ran his hand up and down her naked back._

 _She kissed the corner of his jaw. "This was just what we needed."_

" _Agreed."_

" _I'm sorry we missed our reservations but I can't imagine how awkward dinner would have been with that much sexual tension between us."_

" _It was a bit much, huh."_

" _A bit?" She ran her hand down his abdomen and he sucked in a deep breath._

" _I'll probably never be able to get us reservations at Giovanni's again though."_

" _Giovannis?" He nodded. "If you had told me that I might have been willing to get dressed again after the first time."_

 _He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "The first time."_

 _She laughed at his obvious bravado._

The memory made her throat burn. In that moment, she had thought they were so compatible, in body, mind, and spirit but tonight it seemed to have all fallen apart. The vibes that had radiated between them for years were gone and Sam wasn't sure why. Was it seeing her so weak? Was there something about thinking she was dead that had left him feeling relieved, letting him know he wanted out?

She clutched the pillow even tighter as tears burned in her eyes. Her brain refused to shut down and the tears made her nose stuffy, increasing the pounding in her head. Maybe it was time to take one of the pills Dr. Lam sent home with her. Last time she had seen them, when Daniel was unsuccessfully trying to get her to take one, they were on the table beside the sofa in the living room. She considered calling for Jack but she didn't really want to face him right now.

She slowly slid her legs out of bed. She steadied herself as she pushed up. Once the shaking subsided she shuffled out to the dark living room. Jack was asleep on the sofa, as promised. She often watched him sleep when they were in the field because he looked so peaceful, for those few moments the world wasn't weighing him down. She couldn't see his face tonight but she assumed he looked just as calm.

Sam got dizzy as she bent over to feel on the table. She put her hand out on the arm of the sofa to stop herself from falling.

"Sam?" His voice was groggy. "What's wrong."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I was just getting a pill."

Jack sat up and put his feet on the floor. "Your head?"

"Yeah, I can't turn it off."

"Sounds normal for you." Sam heard the humor in his voice but she couldn't match it.

She swallowed a sob trying to escape. "Right."

Jack reached over and picked up the pills. "I can bring one to you with a glass of water."

"That's ok. I can get it."

"Sam…"

"I can do it." Her voice was wavering. Jack stood up and reached out, wrapping his fingers around her upper arm.

"You're shaking." Sam tried to stop but instead she started shaking harder. "Sam?" He moved closer. "What's really going on?"

Sam's breathing increased as her head spun. "It's over isn't it?" She didn't mean to say it but now that it was out maybe it was best to just get it over with, here and now in the dark while he couldn't see everything she was feeling cross her face.

"It? What do you mean?"

"Us."

Jack's hold on her arm lessened. "If that's what you want."

"Of course it's not what I want."

"It's not?"

"No, Jack, no, but it seems like you've given up on us." The tears she could normally hold back were flowing freely down her cheeks. He let go of her arm and wrapped his arms around her. Her shaking cut him to the core.

"I'm sorry I've been so standoffish. I just assumed you wouldn't want much to do with me."

"What?" She shuttered and her voice broke. "Why?" She tilted her head a little to look up at his face even though it was too dark to make out all his features.

"I condemned you in that control room. He shot you because I let him."

"You did what I needed you to do. I put you in an impossible position and you chose the lesser of two bad choices. You helped save tens of thousands of lives."

"Hundreds of thousands actually." He felt her confusion. "The geeks did some calculating."

"My point stays the same, you did the right thing and I'm proud of you."

"You're not angry?"

"No, and you've got to stop letting Daniel get in your head." He snorted. Her hand moved up to the side of his face. "I love you Jack, that hasn't changed."

His fingers flexed on her back. "I love you too." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "How about we get you that pill and put you back to bed."

She laid the good side of her head on his shoulder and leaned against him. "Together?"

"Yes, absolutely, always."


End file.
